This past Saturday, I took my wife to the see Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire on the same stage. The show was nothing short of astounding. An easy three and a half hours of hit after hit after hit. The show started with both bands onstage alternating respective songs from each group before Chicago left the stage to EWF. Not a lost step, missed beat, nothing left out. I shouldnít have been amazed by what I was hearing and seeing, but it was so damn good I was laughing to myself. Hats off to Mr. Verdine White: he is the King of Party Band Bassists, Master of Bottom Line of Funk. He just rocks. White didnít stand still; I donít know if he could. At one point Philip Bailey hit a note with his voice that I swore was the sax, he was killing all the ladies and if anything his control is better than it was in the day. Chicago was one of those bands Mom and Dad listened to. I do have a greatest hits disc laying around, so I had a good idea as to what to expect. Even so, Iíve always enjoyed live performances better and I wasnít disappointed. Itís easy to forget these guys are fantastic jazz musicians, so it was a surprise whenever they broke away into ďimprovisedĒ passages. Fabulous. Considering both bands have undergone decades of continuous personnel changes, youíd never know it by the way they deliver the goods on stage, itís simply impressive. After each band completed a full set, they regrouped for 5-6 more as an encore. It was terrific to see how both bands complemented each other and played off the material. Theyíre old and seasoned, but still tight and funky. You can imagine how infectious it is having 20 (yes 20!) musicians of their caliber sharing the stage could be. Itís the biggest party Iíve been to that didnít have cops dragging anyone away at the end. Iím happy to say that the venue was sold out. I grew up listening to the rock heavies of 70ís, but I wouldnít have missed this for anything. If you get a chance, go. You wonít be disappointed.

Personally I get tired watching Mr. White. Gets on my nerves after a while BUTTTTTTTTTT that's my personal opinion. In regard to his skills it's amazing he can play so well and solid while jumping, dancing and running. He's truly an awesome player and showman. Hats off to him. I got a DVD of this tour that was recorded during their 3rd date so I have a copy of the show ... WOW! Both bands are amazing! Must have been awesome actually being there ... watching the DVD is awesome. And it was done exactly as you said in regards to format. And yes it's a 2 DVD set and around 3 hours or more long. And the bass player with Chicago is no slouch either. He has awesome chops, a great sound and his voice is very much like Peter Cateara's. (I probably mispelt the last name but you know who I mean.:-) On the DVD they said it was the hottest ticket on tour this year and I believe them.

I saw Chicago a couple of years ago when my band opened for them. I was expecting a by-the-numbers runthrough of tired AOR staples by a band that had played them several times too many. To put it simply, they blew me away. Great energy, great players, 4 guys who can sing notes I can't even see from here--most impressive. And now you tell me that this tour puts Verdine and Bill Champlin on the same stage--YIKES! Major Funk Alert!